Kurma (Sanskrit: कूर्म; Kūrma, wit. turtwe) is de second Avatar of Vishnu. Like oder avatars of Vishnu, Kurma appears at a time of crisis to restore de cosmic eqwiwibrium.[1] His iconography is eider a tortoise, or more commonwy as hawf man-hawf tortoise.[2] These are found in many Vaishnava tempwe ceiwings or waww rewiefs.[3][4]

The earwiest account of Kurma is found in de Shatapada Brahmana (Yajur veda), where he is a form of Prajapati-Brahma and hewps wif de samudra mandan (churning of cosmic ocean).[5] In de Epics and de Puranas, de wegend expands and evowves into many versions, wif Kurma becoming an avatar of Vishnu. He appears in de form of a tortoise or turtwe to support de foundation for de cosmos and de cosmic churning stick (Mount Mandara).[1][6][7]

Togeder de gods and demons churn de ocean wif divine serpent Vasuki as de rope (samudra mandan), and de churn skims out a combination of good and bad dings. Awong wif oder products, it produces poison which Shiva drinks and howds it in his droat, and immortawity nectar which de demons grab and run away wif.[1] The Kurma avatar, according to Hindu mydowogy, den transforms into a femme fatawe named Mohini to seduce de demons. They faww for her. They ask her to take de nectar, pwease be deir wife and distribute it between dem one by one. Mohini-Vishnu takes de pot of nectar and gives it to de gods, dus preventing eviw from becoming eternaw, and preserving de good.[1][7]

The Kurma wegend appears in de Vedic texts, and a compwete version is found in de Shatapada Brahmana of de Yajurveda.[2] In de Vedic era, wike Matsya and Varaha, Kurma is associated wif Prajapati Brahma, and is not rewated to Vishnu.[5][8] The first hint of association of Kurma as an avatar of Vishnu is found in de Ramayana,[9] and de Mahabharata.[8] These winks, however, are ambiguous as de Kurma is referred to by epidets such as Akupara. It is onwy in de Puranas, dat bof Kurma and Matsya are excwusivewy and cwearwy winked to Vishnu.[8]

Kurma in de Vedic texts is a symbowic cosmogonic myf.[8] He symbowizes de need for foundationaw principwes and support for any sustained creative activity. In sections 6.1.1 and 7.5.1 of de Shatapada Brahmana, Kurma's shape refwects de presumed hemisphericaw shape of de earf and dis makes it part of de fire awtar design, uh-hah-hah-hah. He is awso considered de word of de waters, dus symbowism for Varuna. In dese earwy Hindu texts, Varuna and goddess earf are considered husband and wife, a coupwe dat depend on each oder to create and nourish a myriad of wife forms.[8] Awternate names such as Kumma, Kashyapa and Kacchapa abound in de Vedic witerature, as weww as earwy Buddhist mydowogies such as dose in Jataka Tawes and Jain texts, which awso refer to tortoise or turtwe.[8][10][11]

The Kurma wegend is described in Vaishnava Puranas. In one version, sage Durvasa curses de Devas (gods) to wose deir powers because dey swighted him. The gods needed nectar of immortawity (amrit) to overcome dis curse, and dey make a pact wif de asuras (demons) to churn de cosmic ocean of miwk, so as to extract de nectar, and once it skims out dey wouwd share it.[6] To churn de ocean of miwk, dey used Mount Mandara as de churning staff, and de serpent Vasuki as de churning rope whiwe de turtwe Kurma, Vishnu bore de mountain on his back so dat dey couwd churn de waters so dat de churning staff wouwd not sink de cosmic waters.[9]

The Asuras immediatewy took de nectar, and qwarrewed amongst demsewves. Vishnu den manifested himsewf as de beautifuw Mohini and tricked de Asuras to retrieve de potion, which he den distributed to de Devas. Though de Asuras reawized de trick, it was too wate—de Devas had regained deir powers, and were den abwe to defeat deir foes.

There are four tempwes dedicated to dis incarnation of Vishnu in India: Kurmai of Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Kurmam in Srikakuwam District of Andhra Pradesh, and Gavirangapur in de Chitradurga District of Karnataka and Swarupnarayan of Goghat viwwage in Hooghwy district of West Bengaw. The name of de viwwage Kurmai mentioned above originated as dere is historicaw tempwe of Kurma Varadarajaswamy (Kurmavatar of Lord Vishnu), god in dis viwwage.[12] The tempwe wocated in Srikurmam in Srikakuwam District, Andhra Pradesh, is awso de Avatar of Kurma.

1 The wist of ten avatars varies regionawwy. The two substitutions invowve Bawarama, Krishna and Buddha is considered de avatar of Vishnu. Krishna is awmost awways incwuded; in exceptions, he is considered de source of aww avatars.